One Thousand Years
by JessBecker
Summary: Arthur's back, but for a reason. A necromancer is out to steal Excalibur, and he's borought back Morgana to help him. Only this time she's different, more dangerous,
1. Chapter 1

Water lapped at Merlin's feet as he sat on the shores of Avalon. This was the thousandth year sine Arthur's death; the thousandth time Merlin had sat on these shores and remembered that day, remembered his friend and his friend's smile. And Arthur wasn't the only one he'd lost, either. He wasn't even the only one in the lake that Merlin wished would come back. He remembered Freya, too. Remembered how he'd lost her. He remembered the finds that he'd lost in that short time, and those he'd watched grow old and die while he lived on.

Immortality is a curse, not a gift.

"Merlin"

Her voice was a whisper. There was no way she was actually speaking to him, surely.

"Merlin"

Freya's voice was louder this time. He looked up to see her stood at the edge of the lake, her feet still in the water. She looked exactly as she had when she died. The only difference was that her hair and dress were dripping with water. She still looked beautiful to him. She always had.

"Freya" He choked.

This can't be real.

"Merlin." She said again, smiling at him. It was real. He stood and kissed her. He couldn't stop himself.


	2. Chapter 2

"What's happening?" Merlin asked, pulling away.

"It's time, Merlin. Albion is in danger again. It's time for Arthur to return."

Merlin grinned at the thought of seeing Arthur again. Kilgharrah had said he'd return, but part of Merlin had always doubted that. There had been times when Albion had needed help. Various conflicts, including a civil war and two World Wars, and Arthur had stayed dead. Merlin's throat tightened.

_What could possibly be worse than that?_

"Freya" he asked "what happened?"

Her smile faltered.

"There's a sorcerer- a necromancer- who is going to try to steal Excalibur."

"Why does that mean Arthur has to come back? Can't you stop him?"

"Didn't you hear me? He's a necromancer. She's back, Merlin. And I can't stop her. Only you can. You and Arthur."

Merlin felt sick. How could she be back?

Necromancing had always been a risky practise. At best, it usually produced shades, but Freya had the power now to fend them off, as long as she and Excalibur remained in the lake. If it went wrong it produced zombies, ghosts Merlin winced as he remembered Uther's ghost- and... demons. Not full demons, half demons. But they were beings with enough power to seize Excalibur from Avalon.

_Oh my God._

Freya's face was pale, and now Merlin knew why.

"The power of Avalon will return Arthur to you." Freya turned and walked back into the lake, disappearing beneath the ripples on the water's surface.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin sat again and waited. Excalibur's blade broke through the water's surface, followed by a mail-clad arm. Finally Arthur emerged from the water. Merlin couldn't help but grin like a cheshire cat.

"When was the last time you cleaned this armour, Merlin?" Arthur complained, pulling the algae off his shoulder.

"Arthur, you realise you've been..."

"Dead? Yes, I know. It's called a joke, Merlin. Not that I'd expect your small brain to comprehend"

"MY small brain? You're the dollop-head, if I remember rightly"

"Actually, no. If I recall, you described dollop-head as PRINCE Arthur. I'm KING Arthur, so your argument is invalid.

Merlin just burst out laughing, and that started Arthur laughing too. Arthur just shoved Merlin's shoulder and Merlin lost his balance, stumbling backwards with a splash into the clear water. Arthur, laughing even more, put out his hand and pulled Merlin back up.

"Okay, enough jokes. Why am I back?"

"Er... let's just get you some different clothes. People don't exactly walk around in suits of armour any more"

"I meant to ask... what exactly are you wearing?" Arthur eyed Merlin's hoodie and jeans.

"I'll have you know this is the height of fashion!" Merlin sniffed indignantly.

"Really?"

Merlin snorted. "No, but it's comfortable!"

After traipsing around town searching for clothes and explaining that you aren't supposed to challenge cars to duels and you will never catch a plane in your hands no matter how hard you try, they stopped for a drink. As they sat down at the bar, the man across the room stood and walked towards them.

"Does he look familiar?" Arthur asked, leaning towards Merlin.

"Yeah"

His hair was shorter, there was no sword at his hip and no red cloak, but still his dark hair and eyes were almost unmistakeable.

"Sorry, I feel like I know you two... I'm not some kind of stalker, but-"

"Gwaine!" Arthur jumped to his feet as he recognised the Irish lilt in the former knight's accent.

"Yes?" He still couldn't place them.

"It's Arthur. And Merlin. Does that ring any bells?"

"Vaguely"

"Camelot. Knights of the round table."

"Ah, and your bitch of a sister killed me!"

"You remember?"

"Everthing" He smiled.

"But how is this possible?" Arthur asked, his face a blank.

"Ever heard of reincarnation?"

"Yeah, they say Merlin was reincarnated from the Original Idiot"

Gwaine sniggered. Merlin's eyes glowed gold and Arthur's and Gwaine's drinks suddenly splashed in their faces. Both .

"Now, back to the matter in hand, how exactly are you both here?"

"Merlin's immortal, I was dead."

"Oh, that explains everything." Gwaine rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Gwaine? Freya can't protect Excalibur so she brought back Arthur because this nutter of a necromancer brought back Morgana to help him steal it but necromancing doesn't quite work so now she's a demon and-"

"MERLIN! Slow down! So Morgana's back and is, impossibly, even more of a bitch"

"Yes. Sounds like you have a very personal vendetta."

Gwaine grunted.

"She killed me" He managed to say after an awkward silence. Merlin got the impression that wasn't the only grudge Gwaine held against her.

"So, who's Freya? Your girlfriend?" Arthur teased.

Merlin blushed, even his ears went red.

"She was. Sort of. A long time ago. She's the Lady of the Lake now." The statement had an air of finality about it, so nobody asked any more.


	4. Chapter 4

"Back so soon, brother?" A familiar voice hissed in Arthur's ear. The three men almost fell off their seats.

"I've killed you before" Merlin shrugged.

"Hmm, but I couldn't do this-" she proceeded to conjure a ball of fire in her palm "back then"

"Oh great. So now you're a fiery bitch rather than just a regular bitch." Gwaine was apparently unaffected by the fire that burned just inches from his face.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you, Sir Knight." Morgana spat back. She allowed herself a smirk, and it was enough to show the fangs behimd her lips. Enough to show that she was far more powerful now than she had been. And she knew it.

Arthur finally snapped out of his shocked trance.

"Dear me Morgana, having to do someone else's work for them? When did you sink so low?"

"Do not underestimate me, dear brother. The necromancer has no idea how powerful I really am. I have no intention of helping him."

"So you're not trying to steal Excalibur?" Gwaine blurted out, before Merlin socked him over the head.

"No. Not yet, anyway"

"You're lying" Merlin retorted cynically.

"Am I?" She smiled and turned away from them.

"How's Hell, Morgana?" Arthur called after her.

Her muscles tightened for a moment, the cruel smile faded slightly. But she quickly relaxed.

"Wonderful."

"Something tells me it's not" Gwaine mused as she left.

"How could she not love it?" Merlin snapped. He refused to believe that Morgana was anything other than pure evil.

"Didn't either of you see it? The way she reacted when you mentioned Hell. If it was 'wonderful' she wouldn't have tensed up like that" Gwaine explained.

"I didn't see her tense"

'Neither did I" Arthur and Merlin agreed.

"But she- oh, never mind"

"What makes you so eager to see the good in her?" Merlin asked.

"It doesn't matter" Gwaime muttered, barely audible.

"Spill!" Arthur shoved Gwaine's shoulder.

"I'd rather not" Gwaine replied, not looking up "but I suppose I have to"

He hesitated.

"Go on then" Arthur pressed.

"Well, she...er..."

"Get on with it" Merlin teased

"She loves- loved- me" Gwaine said bluntly.

Arthur's and Merlin's puzzled faces made him continue.

"Did you ever notice that it was always me that she caught? Well, it was. It was always me, but I never thought to question it. And every time she caught me she managed to find some new synonym for handsome, and what a shame it was that someone so handsome had to be caught and locked up... same story every time. And then there's the fact that for some reason my shirt disappeared. Every time."

"GWAINE!" Arthur exclaimed "She's still my sister, and I don't want to hear that part!"

"Sorry. Anyway one night in Ismir I got taken to her because I punched one of the guards. I needed punishment, apparently. So the left me in a room with her and shut the door. I was expecting to be thrown around the room by magic or something. But she did nothing. She stayed perfectly still. So, being me, I asked her why. She just looked blankly at me for a while, like she was trying to figure out the same thing. But if she didn't already know then that was the only sign. She just looked straight at me, and said 'I love you'. Then she just shrugged and went back to whatever she was doing. Like she hadn't just admitted to someone she was trying so hard to kill them she loved them."

Merlin's jaw hit the floor, but Arthur took everything into his stride, like it all seemed to make sense in his mind.

"So why did she kill you?"

"I don't know"

"That's why you have such a personal grudge against her? Because you loved her too or at least you would have done, if you had been on the same side."

Gwaine nodded. What he didn't know was that Morgana hadn't killed him for no other reason than spite. She had done it because, even though they could never be together, she couldn't be without him. She had known for months before that she was going to die before the year was out. And she couldn't face death alone. So, in a way, she had killed him out of love. At least, that's how she consoled herself.


End file.
